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It’s surely a fabulous rite of passage for many young Londoners to spend a riotous night at Madame Jojo’s in Brewer Street. Today, the drag-queen stalwart is an isolated remnant of the old Paul Raymond Soho of Piano Bar and Revue Bar infamy but it remains a reassuringly unique fixture on the London club scene — as it has been for some five decades.

For most of us, a club, cabaret or burlesque night at Jojo’s was as close as we got to the mysterious, apparently glamorous, world of London’s drag queens — even if the likes of Lily Savage did go on to national fame and fortune. But, as any visitor to Soho and the rest of the West End would recognise, London has the biggest and broadest drag scene in the world.

London Live’s latest original commission, Drag Queens of London, aims to reflect that in a documentary series following the lives of a selection of performers including some of the most well-known and successful artists: Dusty O, Jodie Harsh, Baga Chipz, Lady Lloyd and Rosie Beaver. The eight one-hour programmes will be broadcast from April.

With unprecedented access to this extraordinary and fascinating world, including their double lives and secrets, the production company behind the series, The Connected Set, is promising a lot more than superficial glitz and glamour.

The series producer, Becky Maynard, said: “We’ll learn more about the stories behind the performer as the war paint comes off. These courageous and colourful characters have a lot on their plate and we’ll see them triumph against the odds to forge careers, find love and make their lives as both drag queens and real men in the capital. We can’t wait to tell all the stories this spring.”

It’s a point taken up by London Live’s head of programming, Jonathan Boseley, who commissioned the series: “London Live exists to bring our viewers surprising slices of life from across the capital,” he comments. “The world of the London drag queen is not exactly as you would imagine, these are incredibly talented artists but they are real people as well and sometimes the drama isn’t just on the stage.”

Boseley believes the Drag Queens series to be the first of many shows where the London Live audience will be introduced to what he calls the “unexpected and unknown sub-cultures that exist in London”. He encourages members of these other “scenes” to approach him: “I want other people with their own unusual stories to come and talk to us as well.”

It’s possible to root the series at the heart of the debate over what happens to the old London alternative cultures, increasingly driven underground. One person’s glamour is another’s seediness. You will have your own views on whether the gentrification of areas like Soho and King’s Cross is a positive, but there is no doubt that the scale and variety of the city’s sub-cultures is one of the key cornerstones of London’s personality. Don’t take my word for it, listen to one of the series’ stars, Dusty O.

“Drag doesn’t discriminate. Queens come in all shapes, sizes, hues and ages and are endowed with some extraordinary talents. It’s great to be part of a programme that celebrates and showcases the diversity and dynamism of London’s drag scene. It’s going to be an eye-opening and electrifying journey for viewers and drag queens alike.”

Why TV needs you to like and follow

There was a huge response on social media last week to news of our Raw late-night strand featuring talent that is largely untried and new to television. Some readers may not be too familiar with a few of the talented artists who we announced will feature in shows such as The Adventures of T-Boy, 5ASIDE and Steffi, but names like KSI, Don’t Jealous Me and — of course — Jamal Edwards bring with them large social media followings.

Those links between Twitter, Facebook and television become ever more crucial, particularly as the rise of simultaneous multi-screening continues. And where these two social giants lead, others like Instagram and Snapchat will be sure to follow.

Popular: Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes (Picture: BBC/PA)
What does this mean in practice? On one level, I feel like I know exactly what happened at this year’s Grammys and Australian Open tennis final, both factually and visually, despite not having seen a second of the actual video footage of either. On another level, Sherlock remained one of the most talked-about shows on television, despite the fact that it was off-air for almost two years between seasons two and three.

Both situations are a result of the power of Twitter. Although true super-fans may be disappointed to learn how much of this is pre-meditated marketing, the truth is that programme-makers now need viewers to become fans too.

London Live is no exception, so why not follow us on Twitter (@LondonLive)? And why not try our Facebook page (LondonLiveESTV), where you can watch our “sizzle” reel, a promotional film which gives you a flavour of what we will be like on air? Of course, you can “like” us too, but only if you really do!

Want to get involved with shaping London Live and the Evening Standard itself? Sign up for the London Views panel. We will ask your opinions up to a couple of times a month — there are rewards for taking part. Go to LondonViews.org to learn more.